I was given the opportunity to join Subaru in Taipei for their regional launch of the All-New Subaru XV. It was an eye-opening experience for me as I’ve never participated in a regional car launch and I didn’t know what to expect.

The itinerary was relatively free and easy, allowing me to get to know the others who came along this trip. Most, if not all of them were familiar with cars while I had no idea what a chassis is until then. Fortunately, they were all fun and pleasant to be around, and I learnt quite a bit from this experience.

What really impressed me was the media test drive as they brought us to an open circuit to “floor it” and see the true performance of the all-new Subaru XV (watch the video!). I for one have never driven a car that way because a typical car test drive would involve cruising along the highway within the set speed limit and for no more than 20km.

But at the Subaru XV launch, the media were given the experience to try the X-Mode and improved maneuverability. I particularly enjoyed flooring the accelerator and seeing how the car take sharp “S” corners – in left hand drive mode! The new design is said to be a big improvement from the current Subaru XV model. We tested this with two other competitor cars, and the Subaru XV was a lot better in tackling those tricky corners in high speed.

The all-new Subaru XV – Taiwan model

There was a co-driver to guide us throughout the test drive process so even though it was my first time driving on the left side, I didn’t find it too difficult. The All-New Subaru XV offers a multitude of settings to allow you to enjoy the ride from city driving to the great outdoors. It’s easy to drive and combines the best of practicality, performance and aesthetics – and I was impressed.